The LFT Tech R3 Head and Neck Restraint system thread - Team Juicy Racing's Racing School and Race Series Forums

arig · #1 07-17-2005

the lft tech R3 head and neck restraint. it looks like a huge contraption, but they only have one set of data up on the site and it appears to limit force more than the hans. http://www.lfttech.com/index.php
just curious what anyone else thinks.

jasonwiener · #2 07-18-2005

looks pretty interesting, although i haven;t seen anyone wearing them ("mandated by nascar" -- according to the site) in nascar. has anyone else. looks like it could be VERY uncomfortable in a skippy car.

Lost in N. VA · #3 07-18-2005

Let me relay a friend’s experience…

He tried the R3 out with little success in the Skippy cars. The problem is that the device goes down the middle of your back, so you need to put in the right amount of padding (with an appropriate cut-out for the device) so that the device "disappears" into the padding. Otherwise, the device puts pressure on your spine.

My friend struggled with it throughout his entire 3-day school at Sebring - each night visiting Home Depot in an effort to craft some padding that would make it bearable. Nothing worked well, and he had to go several sessions without a head and neck restraint because there was simply too much discomfort. He was able to get his hands on a HANS device for his 2-day school, and he lamented having spent so much time in pain trying to use the R3.

That said, the people selling the R3 were most helpful and offered to do whatever was necessary to get him comfortable. If you hate using a HANS, maybe it’s worth a call. Ultimately, however, my friend just asked for his money back and they gave it to him. I’m not sure how well it would work if you had a seat poured while wearing the device, but I think that might be a better approach than the padding.

Bobo was there during my friend’s 3-day and I know he took a look at the device, so perhaps he might have more insight into whether using the R3 in a Skippy car is possible.

sydude · #4 07-18-2005

This seems pretty dangerous to me. You'd need a pretty thick seat poured to be able to cut out enough to ensconce the hump. And that presents what seems to me to be the dangerous part - the foam in the seat is certainly of lower density, so if you are in a severe enough rearwards impact then the foam would compress more than the hump would, creating a high pressure zone right on your spine.

The only solution would be to make a rigid insert with a cut out, but that would be expensive, bulky and not very comfortable.

jasonwiener · #5 07-18-2005

it might be an interesting thing for Todd and the crew to think about in the new cars though. Although I'd be psyched with something that presses down like Champ/Indy for the Hans in the cockpit.

Gerardo · #6 07-18-2005

Yes, I saw the R3 at Sebring during that 3-Day school. I took a bunch of photos of it, will post shortly.

I completely agree with Sy's rear impact consideration. If you back into a wall at anything more than 3 g's, its going to hurt, and probably injure. It may be effective in a frontal hit, but no amount of padding will be of any use in a strong rear impact. I mean no ill will to the makers of the R3, on the contrary, anyone who is working to improve safety in racing is a friend of all of us! I'm just commenting on what I've seen so far.

I still like my HANS. Still pretty cheap for a little more peace of mind.

Gerardo · #7 07-19-2005

Here are the photos:

SouthFL · #8 07-19-2005

Hello Gerardo!, hello all, I'm the guy who used the R3 at Sebring.
I HIGHLY recommend the HANS over the R3 to anyone driving Skip cars. I had to cut a few sessions short due to the pain and discomfort of the R3 device's padding. Uncle Wally was very patient in trying to get me fitted correctly, as were other instructors, but bottom line, having another item (back pad) to slow down the strap-in process of getting in the car is bad enough (not only does it add another step to the strap in process, it also adds another level of anxiety). Besides, walking around with my "toilet seat" back padding cushion was humiliating! I also had a hell of a time at the Home Depot in Sebring, looking for some sort of cushioning material that doesn't come in 4x8 sheets, hahaha.

I ended up using the Hans at Daytona (back to back Sebring+Daytona sessions). I installed it in my hotel room with some basic tools from my tool bag. It's so simple to install and use and it is very comfortable.
HANS all the way!

sydude · #9 07-25-2005

Thanks for the update, and welcome to the site, too!

SouthFL · #10 07-26-2005

^ Sure! No problem.
The third pic in Gerardo's sequence also captures the back padding (in the upper left hand corner, under my white helmet). LFT Tech supplied the black layer (about 1/2" thick). I tried using only that black layer on the 1st day and I pretty much crushed my spine, as the R3's back member kept making contact with the seat, therefore transmitting every shockwave to my vertebrae (along with rocking side to side). I built up the padding, using the black layer as a template, so that the back member would nestle in snugly. This worked out fine, but then all the layering placed added stress on my lower back. Long story short, it did not work. As mentioned above, LFT Tech was very prompt to provide a full reimbursement (along with paying for shipping), so I can't be upset with them. I only wish I wasn't some sort of test dummy for the R3 (that's essentially what had happened) on a Skip car.